Review: Blessed Curses by Madeleine Ribbon

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When David was 8, his world came crashing down around him, isolating him from his family and all of society. David had been cursed by his 9 year old brother in a fit of jealous anger and it stuck. Despite everyones efforts, including the best sorcerers of the time, no one could undo the curse, a curse that made people fear him and unable to be in his company for longer than a minute.

Now, years later, David has adjusted to his life and the curse, or as much as anyone could be. He works the night shift at his cousin’s magical practitioner shop and then goes home to his video games and lonely life. Then one day at his brother’s wedding, David is introduced to Vaughn, a magical enforcer. The firm Vaugn works for is the law enforcement agency charged with picking apart complex curses and making sure sorcerers stay within the law.

Vaughn is intrigued immediately by David. David has long been known to them as The Impossible Kid because of the cure he carries. But Vaughn also finds David handsome, shy, and kind of heartbreaking in his loneliness. Vaughn loves solving supposedly irreversible curses like David’s and can dampen the magical fields he comes in contact with, enough so that he can stand near David without screaming…for most of the time.

Vaughn vows to help cure David of his curse, but finds that the more he gets to know David, the more personal his quest becomes, David is more than a puzzle to Vaughn, he just might be the love Vaughn has always wanted. David seems to want him back. But before a relationship can happen, there is a curse to be dealt with and Vaughn is not having much luck. What will happen to them both if David’s curse is truly unbreakable?

Madeleine Ribbon is a new author for me. Blessed Curses is only the second book of hers that I have read but already I look forward to her stories because certain elements of her books are so well done. Ribbon’s world building is terrific. She gives us a credible universe for each story, one that is complete without going into scads of details when it is not necessary. Ribbon also has the gift of bringing magic and its practitioners to life as thoroughly as any common place profession and its employees. This enforcement agency suffers from cut backs, dingy office space and overworks it employees because of budget cuts. Within this world magic is both commonplace and a talent to be taught and nurtured.

The characters that Ribbon creates for her stories are just as well done as her world building. David is such a tragic figure but one that never gives in to self pity or bitterness. Vaughn too has many interesting layers. A self described “slut” for most of his years, Vaughn is tired of his promiscuous ways and wants to find someone to love. The author makes both men authentic sympathetic individuals who she then surrounds with equally moving and real secondary characters. I especially love the grumpy Trekker, Vaughn’s partner at the agency and Cole, a young homeless sorcerer. They really helped bring this story to life. Less well rounded in personality was Todd, the brother who cursed his brother and has spent the rest of his life being his companion. Given his was the curse that started it all and that he was bound to his brother by guilt as well as love, I think his character should have reflected more of the dichotomy inherent in their situation. He seemed a little shallow to me unfortunately.

The beginning of this book will absolutely make you cry. In fact the poignancy and heartbreak of those earlier scenes is so powerful, so pain filled that the feelings they engender are never fully recaptured.

David sat down on the next swing over. It hung just a little too low to be comfortable, but he didn’t want to lose this taste of friendship by moving down to the other end of the set.

He managed to kick his way up almost as high as Andy, though he had to keep letting go of the chain to push his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

Todd would see them when he got home from camp. David wondered what sort of a reaction he would get, once Todd realized that his friends didn’t mind David quite so much as David had been led to believe.

It was nearly dark when Todd finally found them talking and laughing, still on the swings. David stopped pumping his legs when he saw his brother stomping toward them. “Davey,”

With the joy of the scenes before when a lonely young boy realizes that someone will play with him, the boys swinging together on the playground, a rarity for young David, to the sight of his angry brother stomping towards them, well, it will feel absolutely spot on to anyone who knows young kids and sibling rivalry. But in this case, a fight between an older jealous sibling ( who has consistently bullied his brother) and his baby brother will have far more grave consequences than can be fixed by a bandaid and a time out in their room. The innocence of David combined with a child’s fear and sense of betrayal will haunt this book for several reasons. One reason is that it is so beautifully written, the emotions flowing from the boys are visceral in their impact. And secondly, the consequences upon the siblings and their relationship is never spelled out to the readers satisfaction. Yes, Todd became his brother’s companion but how did they feel about that? Where is the realism to their complicated relationship? Nor do we see what is Todd’s (the brother) reaction to the curse being lift. This whole element is lacking from the story and when it is such an emotional component right from the start, it should be included in the story as well to make this a well rounded plot and feel complete at the end.

Aside from this gap in the narrative, I loved this story. I did feel the denouement lacking in intensity. It just sort of happened. Another missed opportunity. Others may not feel that way. The majority of this story is terrific. In fact its downright magical, including elements of angst in the form of a young teenager discarded by his family. I definitely recommend this story and am off to locate more of Madeleine Ribbon’s stories to read,

Cover Art by Brooke Albrecht is gorgeous. I think it know where the design was going with the picture but I am just not sure anyone would know what the story was about from the cover. I wouldn’t and it that part of the cover’s job?

Book Details:

ebook, 168 pages

Published August 7th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published August 6th 2013)

ISBN 1627980571 (ISBN13: 9781627980579)

edition language English

url http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4070

Review: Heroes & Villains (Heroes & Villains #1) by Harper Kingsley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Once Vereint Georges realized he had superpowers he dreamed of the day he would become a superhero and help save the world. He would be adored, famous and hopefully wealthy. But the reality was far different than he ever could have imagined. Vereint didn’t like sewing his costumes and he had to keep his day job in order to live. Then his first rescue as the superhero Starburst went horribly wrong. The person he rescued was badly burned by his superpowers and Vereint threw up in front of the cameras. To make it worse, his superhero name reminded everyone of the candy and not a hero. In fact, there were so many superheroes that he was ridiculed by the very people he was supposed to save and mocked by the other superheroes who wouldn’t accept him, especially the superhero Blue Ice. Vereint hated being a superhero but what else could he do?

Well, he could become a villain and soon Darkstar was born. Vereint found it incredibly freeing and lucrative to be evil. He was even good at it! Soon the populace of Megacity feared and idolized him. Darkstar even had people wanting to be his minions. Vereint as Darkstar had finally made it and life was outstanding.

Blue Ice, aka Warrick Tobias, hated Darkstar. He hated him when he was Starburst and hated him worse now that he was supervillain Darkstar. Darkstar was all Warrick could think about. It was almost like he was obsessing over him. Of course, Darkstar was impossibly gorgeous with that black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. Darkstar even invaded his dreams so what is a superhero to do?

When Darkstar and Blue Ice’s clashes turn amorous it leaves both metahumans confused and maybe even hopeful. A superhero and a supervillain falling in love? Is that even possible? It’s time for Darkstar and Blue Ice to find out.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I didn’t know what to expect from the blurb but the reality of the story was so much better than I expected. In fact, I felt as though I got two books for the price of one. Heroes and Villains is the story of two metahumans who live in the metropolis of Megacity (of course). Harper Kingsley starts off the story in a setting than any reader of comic books would recognize. Those anonymous buildings populated by typical humans going about their business even as superheroes and villains clash in the streets and air all around them. Disasters and super battles are commonplace and there is such a surfeit of superheroes and supervillains that each has a council to keep them organized. For the superheroes, it is the League of Superheroes and for villains it is the League of Ultimate Evil. There is the Police Commissioner and his Code Black that will summon the superheroes when needed. It’s all there and accounted for, all the elements we have come to expect, love, and maybe even giggle at when we think of superheroes, supervillains and the cities they live in. As I was reading, all I could think of was how much fun Harper Kingsley must have had writing this story.

From the names to the costumes and superpowers, Kingsley takes our superhero characters and has fun with them, starting with the position that the reality of being a superhero isn’t what it is cracked up to be. What if, when a fire happens, not one hero shows up but twenty? And some are great and others? Maybe not so much. What happens when the superhero isn’t wealthy but just getting by in a Dilbert like desk job? How do they account for the time they must take away from their jobs to save people and put out the fires? Like Vereint, they must come close to getting fired because they have used up all their vacation days. Plus they might not be able to pay their rent on time because they have to spend their money replacing costumes. It’s a great parody and I loved it.

Kingsley works magic here with the superhero trope. With their arrogance and position in society, the author’s superheroes act more like a group of mean girls than heroes. Blue Ice in fact is a legacy superhero (five generations of his family have been in the business), and he feels weighed down by the responsibilities he has shouldered since the age of 14. He lives in the penthouse of Tobias Towers, naturally, and secretly despises the humans he is supposed to protect. He also resents the adulation and lifestyle that is Darkstar’s while also being envious of his freedom. I loved all the details Kingsley brings to the character of Blue Ice. It’s not only funny, but it also rings with authencity. Warrick Tobias as Blue Ice really dislikes his job and is in denial about so many things about himself, including his sexuality. So how does he handle it? By being a bully. He is as responsible for Vereint becoming Darkstar than anyone else because of his constant mocking and demoralizing actions towards Starburst. Warrick is also in his 30’s and now has to follow a Heart Healthy diet. Here is a taste of Warrick Tobias:

It wasn’t like Warrick didn’t understand that he was acting completely insane, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. There was something about the whole Darkstar situation that just drove him to the verge and maybe a little bit over. The fact that he didn’t really know why he cared that much just made it even worse because the mystery itself was eating away at him.

Warrick spooned up his last bite of maple and brown sugar oatmeal before picking up the plump yellow banana he’d chosen for his breakfast. He squeezed it gently between his fingers, seeing that it didn’t have a single brown spot. It was a singularly beautiful piece of fruit.

As he’d resigned himself to the idea that he was in his thirties— his early thirties, but his thirties nonetheless— he’d had to make a few dietary changes in his life. He’d had to cut back on the sugars, the trans fats, the delicious carbs, and basically everything else that he loved so that he didn’t end up bulging out of his supersuit. He couldn’t have a greasy breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hash browns at his favorite diner anymore, and if he did go there, he had to pick things off the Heart Healthy menu.

I hate egg white omelets and turkey bacon. I want to eat fatty pork bacon and scrambled eggs covered in melted cheese. I bet Darkstar doesn’t have to worry about anything. His super metabolism probably …

“Dammit!” Warrick shouted, flinging the hapless banana across the room to splatter against the wall. Everything in his head came back to Darkstar and he just couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t like he was obsessed or anything. Except that it really seemed like he was obsessed, and not even the self-knowledge that he was out of control helped any.

And Vereint Georges is just as nuanced and believable character as Warrick. His character changes from a naive, hopeful young superhero to someone who gradually becomes disenchanted with the harsh reality of his dreams. Nothing measures up. He’s the new boy, the young “dorky, loser” as the popular kids nee superheroes call him. Always on the outside, never has the cool clothes, trying to hard to fit in and perpetually disdained for his efforts. And when he has finally had enough, we are with him 100 percent.

He couldn’t really understand why no one could take him seriously. He tried just as hard as every other hero, so why didn’t he get any kind of respect?

If it was just Blue Ice treating him badly, he might have been able to ignore it, but it was everyone acting like it was a crime that he wanted to save them. They made fun of his name, his ideals, everything about him.

What do I feel about the way everyone treats me?

The answer came in a surprisingly cold voice: I’m angry.

And of course, they won’t like him when he is angry.

Clenching his hands into fists at his sides, he gritted his teeth and tried to bury his anger deep inside him. He almost had himself back under control and relaxed a little, sure he wasn’t going to completely lose it.

“You know, you’ve got a hole in your shirt,” Blue Ice said, pointing.

“THAT … IS … IT! I have had enough of all this crap.”

Filled with rage, Starburst could feel himself trembling uncontrollably. Violet color began rising around his body and he felt his hair shifting in an unfelt breeze. His eyes felt hot all of a sudden and he was afraid of what was going to happen, but he couldn’t stop it. He was just so frustrated and angry.

Thus Darkstar is born. But there is so much more to come. There is the physical attraction both men feel for each other, poseurs who want Darkstar’s attention, more mega explosions and evil doings galore.

Right up until the halfway mark, the story still has the feel of a parody about it. Then it changes. An evil deed by Darkstar has profound affects upon his thinking and the story starts to become darker with more real emotions and events that will play with the reader’s empathy and affections. There were elements of cruelty before but now it fully comes out to play. All the metahumans really don’t like the regular human beings very much. They regard them as so much sheep and their actions reflect that.

Kingsley also starts to concentrate on the growing relationship between Warrick and Vereint, the changes in their characters and all the outside influences that effect their lives and potential future. From the somewhat gentle lampooning of the genre, the author takes this satire to a darker level, bringing a certain amount of grit to the characters and the scenes. Not everyone will appreciate the loss of the humor and cartoonish takeoff that the first part of the book represents. I liked this element but also understand its lack of appeal to some readers.

I also felt that the story especially the epilogue was a little long. It certainly could have been shortened without harm to the narrative. Still, I can say that I really liked Heroes and Villains, it is one of the more unusual stories that I have read recently and I throughly appreciated that. From every aspect of this novel, the attention to detail , the inclusion of all the expected comic book elements to the terrific characterizations, I highly recommend this book to all. Let me know what you think.

Cover designed by Aisha Akeju. I am not sure what I make of this cover. I appreciate the pointillism of the graphics that convey a sense of comic book similarity but I wish it had taken that element a little further in design.

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 211 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Harper Kingsley

ASIN B00540AHXQ

edition language English

url http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=492

series Heroes & Villains

A City In Need and the Week Ahead in Reviews

Washington, DC, home of the federal government, the Smithsonian, the World Bank and all those other government agencies who names are reduced to alphabet letters, doesn’t have a shelter for LGBTQ endangered youth. How is that possible? We have food banks, shelters for homeless families (although not nearly enough) and shelters for battered women (House of Ruth, although again horribly more is needed here too). We have famous this and that, shiny new, expensive condos are rising up everywhere to help shelter the masses of people, young and old, who are returning to the city to live and work.

Where is the shelter for those thrown out of their homes for their sexuality?

Discarded like garbage, removed from family, schools, and every type of support possible, these kids are then forced to scramble to survive on the streets while lacking the skills to do so. Fragile prey who often meet the predators just waiting for them. Others arrive thinking the city offers some hope and answers and find neither.

Who is going to answer their cries for help?

There used to be the Wanda Alston House but they went bankrupt. Other shelters I reported on apparently (from sources working in DC close to the situation) are turning away LGBTQ youth because of their sexuality. *shakes head* But there is a glimmer of hope at least for the future.

Yesterday, my Metro M/M group (authors, bloggers, publishers and readers) met to talk books, conferences, and other things at the wonderful Freddie’s Beach Bar in Crystal City VA. A friend mentioned that the Wanda Alston House is being revived as The Alston Project and she is working with the organizers. That is wonderful and much needed news. We need this shelter, the LGBTQ youth need this shelter and I want to help. And hopefully you do too.

So I will keep you all posted. Watch for a blog on The Alston Project. I have ideas percolating to launch a donation drive when it is ready for one. Maybe even auctioning off/giving away ebooks and t-shirts for money to go into this project. Let me know if you all have any ideas! Lets pool our thoughts, our resources, our energies and make a shelter for LGBTQ homeless youth a reality.

We read books about them, romances and fictional stories by authors whose extraordinary talents make us weep over the plight and reality of gay youth so lets channel those emotions and help them in other ways too. Keep tuned in for more information and ways to help our LGBTQ endangered kids!

Here are links to LGBTQ shelters in other cities that need help and donations too:

www.aliforneycenter.org (New York City)

U CAN – LGBTQ Host Home Program (Chicago, IL)

Lost-n-Found Youth, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)

Article on House Bill – New House bill seeks to aid LGBT homeless youth

And now for the week ahead in reviews:

Monday, Sept. 23: Heroes and Villains by Harper Kingsley

Tuesday, Sept 24: Blessed Curses by Madeleine Ribbon

Wed., Sept 25: Summer Lovin’ Anthology

Thurs., Sept. 26: City Knight by T.A. Webb

Friday, Sept. 27: Roughstock: Blind Ride, Season One by BA Tortuga

Sat., Sept 28: The Case of the Missing Aha Moment – Scattered Thoughts Mini Rant on Writing

Review: Accidental Alpha (Pack Partners, #1) by Poppy Dennison

Book Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

One year ago police officer Lex Tompkins was stabbed while on the job. The severity of the wounds and the long recovery time meant disability and retirement for Lex as he could no longer physically do his job. Bitter, Lex withdraws from everyone he knows, buying seven acres in the middle of nowhere to hide in and retreat from society. But almost from the beginning his plans go awry. Lex has a neighbor when his real estate agent promised him none. And that neighbor, Spencer Robinson, always seems to have a ton of people at his house and a party going on. Plus the guy isn’t even Lex’s type.

When a toddler shows up alone in Lex’s front yard, he knows that there is only one place he could have come from. Lex picks the kid up and starts to head across the street when the toddler bites the heck out of his neck. Lex passes out and the next moment wakes up in Spencer’s house as the new Alpha werewolf of a small and dysfunctional pack of werewolves.

Faced with new responsibilities that he doesn’t want, Lex also finds himself attracted to Spencer, someone he never looked twice at before. What’s a bitter excop to do when Fate rearranges his life in ways he never imagined?

Poppy Dennison became a go to author of mine when I started reading her Triad series (now at book four). So when I saw that she had a new shifter story out, I knew I had to have it. Accidental Alpha, the first in the Pack Partners series, starts with a hysterical premise, what happens when a toddler accidentally turns a person into a werewolf? I love it when an author gives me a new twist on a popular genre and that’s exactly what Dennison has delivered here.

Dennison has created a unique pack structure for her werewolf story which includes the toddler’s position within it and the reason why he bit Lex in the first place. This is a small and somewhat dysfunctional pack with a few shifters hanging at the outskirts of the core group that is not getting along without leadership. Into this interesting group dynamics, Dennison thrusts her disabled alpha cop, Lex Tompkins. I really liked his character, he comes across as a hard core cop who loved his job. And the type of personality that it takes to be a cop is exactly the type of leadership needed in an Alpha. I liked the manner in which Dennison connects those dots not only for the reader but for Lex as well. Lex is a man in need of a job that requires him to police and take care of people and that is exactly what he gets again.

This pack is made up of some very damaged, sad, and angry shifters. Each comes with their own set of challenges that Lex must first decipher and then deal with. That includes his very strong attraction to Spencer which is clearly a werewolf thing Lex needs to get figure out immediately before his own behavior gets out of control. I liked the pack that the author has created for this story. There’s the toddler, Aiden, who is quite adorable. His mother Mia, two special special favorites of mine Ruby and Nathan, Justin and more. And then there is Spencer, the neighbor and perhaps potential mate. I connected with the character of Spencer as well. Quiet and unassuming, he has a reserve to him that works when the rest of the pack is spiraling out of control. Its a nice yin and yang sort of relationship that will evolve with the story and the series. It’s also a lovely change from the wham bam mate thing that overwhelms characterization and plot that I so often read in shifter stories. Poppy Dennsion sets out a structure for not only the pack but for acquiring mates as well.

The ending of Accidental Alpha sees Lex, Spencer and the rest slowly adjusting to each other and the change in pack dynamics. It’s a new start for them all and an appropriate place to end the first book in the series. Poppy Dennison had laid her ground work while still leaving room to flesh out the personalities and back history of the individual pack members. I also expect to learn more about Lex as well. Accidental Alpha leaves me wanting more of the Pack Partners series and that’s exactly what it should do. Great job, Poppy Dennison. I can’t wait to see what will happen next. Please don’t make us wait too long.

Book Details:

ebook, 56 pages

Published September 11th 2013 by Wilde City Press

ISBN13 9781925031485

edition language English

url http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/accidental-alpha-pack-partners-book-one/#.UikX-D9dAks

Review: Re-Entry Burn (Superpowered Love #5) by Katey Hawthorne

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Malory Clermont , a heat superpowered ex-felon, has just finished his time in jail and is now out on parole. Three years ago, Malory, his Dad and their cousin Brady (Riot Boy) planned and tried to pull off a bank robbery using their superpowers. But unknown to Mal and his criminal dad, Brady was working with the cops and betrayed them. It got nasty, people got hurt and Mal and his dad got jail time. Mal’s lawyer pleaded his case,citing extenuating circumstances, saying Mal’s dad and uncle had brought him up to be a criminal which was child abuse, . Which is why Mal is out after 2 and half years in the superpowered lockup and trying to re-enter society. His parole officer has three immediate goals for Mal. Find a place to live, find a place to work and attend his fellow parolees group therapy session. High goals when no one wants a ex con as a renter or employee.

Theo McCracken, a cold-superpowered ex-offender, is out on parole too. His crime? He murdered his abusive stepfather and would gladly do it again. Now free after 5 years in jail, he is trying to adjust to freedom outside and not doing particularly well at it. Theo feels pressured by outside forces and his twisted maternal ties. Emotionally and mentally Theo is more fragile than he looks. Theo is just that bit of out of control that is dangerous for someone recently out of jail and emotionally wanting. Then he sees Mal.

Mal and Theo met in their weekly court mandated group therapy sessions and click. Or at least Theo does. Mal just hides in his chair, keeping the lowest profile possible, a mass of confused hurt and passivity. Theo notices Mal immediately and starts his pursuit which scares Mal just enough to come out of his shell. Theo’s cold high energy rushes up against Mal’s hot docility in a clash of opposites that reenergizes them both. And despite abandonment issues, paranoia, traumatic family ties and events, somehow Mal and Theo start to hope that a future for them both is possible if they can just get past the re-entry burn.

Re-Entry Burn is the fifth story in the Superpowered Love series and a clear equal to Riot Boy (Superpowered Love #2), the story that made me fall deeply in love with these superpowered characters and twisted family histories. The story is told from the haunted, pain-filled voice of Malory Claremont, who we first met in Riot Boy (Superpowered Love #2). In that story he was a seething vessel of angst, rage and love and it was aimed directly at his cousin Brady who wanted to escape the criminal life that Brady’s family had forced on him. It is because of Katey Hawthorne’s marvelous gift of characterization that readers saw something more in Malory, something so sad and compelling that it just cried out for his story to be told. And now we get it and what an emotionally fraught journey it turns out to be with mental quicksand and societal traps everywhere. And in this author’s hands, its a outstanding piece of addictive storytelling

A raw, hip, and often dryly humorous dialog one of the hallmark elements of Katey Hawthorne’s stories. And it’s an element I can’t get enough of. When the word “fuck” flows out of one of her character’s mouth (in this case Mal Claremont) it might be as an adjective, a noun, a verb, an adverb and most certainly an interjection. Basically Hawthorne has made it work as every part of sentence and the end result is a unique, sometimes plaintive, sometimes angry introspective voice that propels you magnetically along the narrative. Don’t fight it, just go with the flow, following the raw musical tones of a damaged man trying to find his way out of his past and into the present. This is how the story starts:

You Are Here

I’m not saying I’m getting this all down perfect, but it’s pretty goddamn close. It’s hard not to go back and pretend I felt and did things different than I did, but if keeping that fucking journal taught me one thing, it was that changing the words after the fact changes the point. I didn’t want to do it, but I can’t remember the last time I wanted to do anything like I was told.

I’ll try and not get ahead of myself, but this shit is new to me. Not like anyone’s reading it anyhow. Whatever, fuck it.

The story unfolds as a journal that Mal (and all the other ex offenders) must keep as a part of their group therapy and parole. Mal writes down his thoughts and the events as they happen, using the journal to work through his mixed up feelings of anger and abandonment towards Brady and his life. The author lets the readers into Mal’s thought processes and the emotional and mental work that it takes for Mal to see through to the reality of the reasons behind his words and actions. It’s tough going for Mal and we aren’t always sure that he will reach the designation we hope for him. Mal and life has placed a lot of obstacles in his way, and he must understand and remove them before he can arrive at his personal truth. What an amazing character and story! And his slow, pain racked path is as fascinating and authentic as Mal is.

A little bit of background. Mal, Theo, Brady and even his parole officer are all superpowered beings called Awakened. They are elementals with powers linked accordingly whether it is heat, cold, water, or electrical. So already this is a group of beings on the outside of a society (Sleepers, that’s us) that is ignorant of their presence. Imagine having such power than not being able to use it. I think we could all imagine the frustration and the rage that would build up, so a respectable portion of the Awakened are criminals. Others have chosen to be the group that polices their own (with special prisons to hold them), and some have turned vigilante using their powers to help others. Hawthorne takes us into the middle of their rage, their divisive gatherings and makes us understand exactly what these beings are feelings and how conflicted their lives are.

Mal is not only having to readjust to freedom, he is also having to readjust to hiding once more who and what he is. Inside the special prison, Mal could be the heat elemental he was. No more hiding his powers and that was freeing in itself, a dichotomy. Now physically free, Mal looks to the outside as being imprisoned once more inside a persona not truly him. It’s a powerful image and not one conducive to staying outside the penal system. Theo’s background and personality also raises impediments to a successful future outside the prison system. His journey forward and emotional healing has as many potholes in it as Mal’s does.

There are so many heartbreaking elements to Re-entry Burn. Not just the realistic treatment Mal receives from his new co workers and neighbors which runs the gamut from wary friendliness to outright hostility and fear. No Mal is also adjusting to being in an environment where he can safely be a sexual being again as prison was not the place to explain his bisexuality. Mal’s interest in sex is dead in the water until Theo comes and sparks it back to life. And that has consequences too for them both. Nothing here is simple, everything has a reactive aspect that potentially could land either man back in prison in an instant. The author maintains a beautiful balance of tension between the readers and their concern for the characters and the needs of her narrative. If the men often goes to their knees, pounded down by their needs and the pressure, well, the reader is right there with them on the cement floor, feeling their pain and intoxication with each other and their powers.

How I love these people and their stories. I find them downright irresistible in voice and personality. Listen to Mal working through “shit” in his journal:

I pulled out my journal on one of my fifteen-minute breaks and wrote:

I am a thief. I am a liar. I am a man. I am crooked. I am uneven. I am angry. I am lost. I am alone. I am alive. I am a queer. I am a supervillain. I am a risk. I am a joke. I am funny, funny Malory, oh so fucking funny.

People throw words at me, and I wait to see how they stick, which parts of me meld into them, which parts of me curl up in a ball and wither. Some of the words are partly right.

Some of them are right sometimes. Most of them mean nothing at all, just weird sounds and shapes when I roll them around in my head. Some of them kill parts of me or put them to sleep so I forget they ever existed until something kicks them awake again.

But the one thing I’ve always been and will always be, the only thing I’m sure of: I am fire. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical reaction, a separating of elements. As long as I have that, I think I can hold them all off. Maybe not indefinitely, but for a while.

But why do I even want to? So I can find more words to apply, this time words I like, I want, I wish? How the fuck would that be any better?

What’s the fucking point?

So puzzled, still so full of pain. But he’s doing the work, he’s getting there and you are straining to help him every step of the way. You will feel that way about Theo too.

If this is your first Superpowered Love story, then go back to the beginning or at least start with Riot Boy. That will give you enough back history and insight into the characters to go forward with Re-entry Burn. It won’t take much before you will find yourself just as addicted as I am to this universe and these characters. Katey Hawthorne is a go to author for me and this is a perfect example why. Go, pick it up and start on the path to a love affair with the Awakened! You are going to love them. And just because I can, here is one more hook to reel you in. Malory is speaking with his parole officer:

Maybe society would start pretending I was human again. I admit, part of me was thinking, fuck that noise, and always will. But it’s as good as it gets. Less trouble too.

“Do you feel like it’s helpful with your reentry, I mean?”

I pictured myself racing through the atmosphere like the Apollo 13 capsule, trailing pieces of myself and fire.

P.L. Nunn’s cover is gorgeous as always.

Books in the Superpowered Love series in the order they were written and should be read:

Equilibrium (Superpowered Love, #1)
Jealousy: A Love Story (Superpowered Love, #1.1)
Best Gift Ever (Superpowered Love, #1.2)
Riot Boy (Superpowered Love, #2)
Willoughby Spit (Superpowered Love, #2.1)
Nobody’s Hero (Superpowered Love, #3)
Losing Better (Superpowered Love, #4)
Re-Entry Burn (Superpowered Love, #5)
Book Details:

ebook

Published August 26th 2013 by Loose Id

ISBN13 9781623005009

url http://www.loose-id.com/superpowered-love-5-re-entry-burn.html

series Superpowered Love #5

setting Arlington, VA

When a Name Hurts And the Week Ahead in Reviews

Its football season! And like the changing color of the leaves its time for a certain topic to pop up again for discussion in the Washington DC Metro area. Should the Redskins change their name? For years the answer was a resounding no from all Redskin fans and non fans alike. But now the tide is changing….finally. And more and more people as well as institutions are calling on the Washington Redskin organization and Dan Snyder to change the name of the team.

Sports Illustrated’s ‘MMQB’ site apparently won’t use the Redskins name any more. Nor will Slate Magazine (owned by The Washington Post Company), the online publication USA Today’s Christine Brennan, Grantland. They join the Piscataway and Oneida Nations, Mike Wise of The Washington Post, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, 12 members of Congress and a growing number of the nation’s population who find using a racial slur as a team name not only hurtful but repulsive.

Those old and racially insensitive rejoinders that hold that it’s an honor for Native Americans to be used as a title for a sports team and that “its not meant to be a slur” are not listening to the very people the name is denigrating. They are not listening to the fans who agree or the many who have written and implored Dan Snyder to do the right thing and change the name. No, it appears the all mighty buck is in charge as well as Dan Snyder.

The NFL and Dan Snyder say it would cost the team (meaning both of them) millions, maybe tens of millions in revenue to change the name. Loss of copyright, loss of the proceeds in sales of Redskin memorabilia, and anything else they can imprint the name and logo on. Plus in their eyes, other teams have names that are similar and they haven’t changed them. What? Are they 5 years old? Thats normally the age that uses that sort of excuse. I know they are talking about the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks, the Golden State Warriors and many, many more. And guess what, those teams need to change their names too.

Picture for a minute all those mascots dressed as Native Americans, those cartoon logos that scream of another era, and the painted, feathered, tomahawk chopping fans that attend each game and appear on so many sports screens, sports extras shows and vids. I am even talking about our beloved elderly Chief Zee, who first attended his first Washington game in 1978 and has been a semi official mascot ever since. Now lets switch over and try to see it from the point of view of a Native American. You know, those indigenous peoples whose land we took, tribes we slaughtered, language and cultures we suppressed and who are still trying in every court in the nation to regain not only their heritage but the respect and recognition that should have always been theirs. Pretty ugly, isn’t it. Downright shameful, no matter how you look at it.

Hard to believe we are still arguing about this. How do you justify the pain and hurt that is caused when a slur is treated as something acceptable? In the past, it was the N word. Now everyone knows that it is never acceptable to use or suffer the consequences (loss of sponsors, jobs, income, see Paula Dean and others). The F word is rapidly going the same way, a fact that is long overdue as is LGBTQ rights. The R word is just as offensive, although some people are still hiding in the past. Just on the fact alone that Native Americans find this term, this word, not only racially offensive but disparaging and derogatory should make it (and other similar names) disappear from sports teams everywhere. And although its origin and usage is in dispute*, the fact that most people now perceive it to be a racial slur should make its usage taboo.

What is it going to take for these owners and teams to make a change? A Supreme Court decision? Considering the amount of lawsuits in play that could happen. But I would like to think it will be because the people spoke with their wallets. So, NFL, MLB, NHL, the Redskins and Dan Snyder, you are standing your ground and won’t switch? OK, then we won’t pay to go to your games. We won’t pay to watch your games on Pay For View. We won’t buy tickets, or team memorabilia. Those expensive team logo clothes? Nuh uh. Those beer mugs and team flags for the cars? Pass on them too.

This isn’t about RGIII. I really hope his knee is fine and his career is long. It’s not about Mike Shanahan and his team. They are OK too. Even that troll (in my opinion) of an owner, no it is about him, no question. It’s about doing the right thing, no matter the cost. So that’s why I will be waiting until the name is changed to support a Washington team. It could be the Washington Lobbyists or the Washington Scribes. The Washington Lawmakers or the Washington Federals. I kind of like that last one, it has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? Certainly the Washington Capitals and the Washington Nationals didn’t seem to have a problem finding an appropriate name. And if you want to look to a role model, look no further than to the departed and deeply missed Abe Pollin who decided he couldn’t live with owning a team named the Bullets with kids and adults dying every year by the gun. So he renamed them the Wizards and went forward without missing a step, now that’s a responsible owner.

So I am sticking to the Washington Caps, and the Nats and maybe even the Ravens. Who knows? The only thing for certain, is that I won’t be rooting for a certain Washington football team. No more red and gold for me. They probably don’t care. I am only a small voice but the number is growing. Oh, to hear a multitude sing……

*Language Log: The Origin of Redskin, Are You Ready For Some Controversy? The History Of ‘Redskin …

Now for the week ahead in reviews:

Monday, Sept 16: Defiance (Triple Threat #3) by L.E. Harner

Tuesday, Sept. 17: The Crimson Outlaw by Alex Beecroft

Wed., Sept. 18: Superpowered Love: Reentry Burn by Katey Hawthorne

Thurs., Sept. 19: Black Dog by Cat Grant

Friday, Sept. 20: Crucify by L.E. Harner

Sat., Sept. 21: Accidental Alpha by Poppy Dennison

The Winners Are Announced for The Tameness of the Wolf Week! Happy Birthday, Kendall McKenna!

It’s here, our final day with Kendall McKenna and The Tameness of the Wolf Week. It’s been a great week with terrific prizes and author insight into a series that is just outstanding and one of Scattered Thoughts Best of Lists for 2013. I am sure you all are with me when I say I can’t wait for more.

Thank you, Kendall, for the wonderful posts and gifts.

ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords

Whew! It’s been a helluva week! I was already behind on some administrative duties when Strength of the Wolf was released. The reaction was so strong, it was all I could do to keep up with email, Facebook PMs, and messages left on my wall, and on The Tameness of the Wolf’s Facebook page. I’ve been participating in the Suicide Prevention Blog Hop (because as of 2013, more military personnel take their own lives each day/year, than are killed in combat), and I have two new guest blog appearances starting today, and it’s been rough keeping up!

Who am I kidding? I’m even farther behind than I was!

And don’t think any of this is a complaint, because it certainly is not! What it is, is an observation of the escalation of the reaction to the Tameness of the Wolf books as they come out. I think the love of paranormal stories gave Strength of the Pack a good launch, but Strength of the Wolf was met with a perfect storm of paranormal, sequel, and my own slightly higher author profile. From an objective standpoint, it’s fascinating to watch how each series generates its own unique reaction. Each new title generates a slightly more intense reaction than the one before.

So here we are, one week into the release of Strength of the Wolf, it’s topping the bestseller lists, and I’m still behind in admin work! Just in case it’s not clear, when I’m behind in admin work, that means I’m not working on the next book! Yikes! Today, none of that matters! We’re celebrating my birthday, today, by announcing the last of the contest winners! My thanks to everyone who has stopped by, read my posts, read the wonderful reviews for both books, and entered the contests!

A huge thanks to Melanie (aka Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words) who stayed in stealth mode! I knew you were out there, even though you stayed in the background. I appreciate the two great reviews for Strength of the Pack and Strength of the Wolf.

So, to celebrate my birthday today, I’m going to finish giving out gifts to YOU!

Jumping back a bit, the winner of Noah and Lucas’ dog tags is Carissa! Congratulations! Drop me an email at Kendall.mckenna3 at gmail dot com with your shipping address.

Next up, the winner of Tim and Jeremy’s dog tags is Fedora! Congratulations to you as well! Be sure to let me know your mailing address.

And for the GRAND FINALE! The winner of the e-book copy of Strength of the Wolf is: Lyra L! Congratulations! I just need to know which format you need!

Once again, my thanks to everyone for participating! Congratulations to all the winners! I hope your prizes help you enjoy my birthday! Now, go run and tell all your friends and family about this wonder series of books you’ve read and how they need to check them out now, before too many of them get released! 😉

Time for me to lace up my LPCs and step off! Kilo-Mike out!

Kendall McKenna

love & dog tags

www.kendallmckenna.com

www.facebook.com/kendallmckenna

www.facebook.com/thetamenessofthewolf

www.facebook.com/therecondiaries

Don’t Miss Out! The Tameness of the Wolf Insanity Continues with Contests and Dog Tags!

It’s been a week since Strength of the Wolf was released and the insanity continues!!

If you missed yesterday’s post, go check it out really quick. I talked about the werewolves in, Strength of the Pack and Strength of the Wolf, how I created them, and why I gave them the characteristics that I did. There’s still time to enter to win an e-book copy of Strength of the Wolf, so go get yourself signed up! The winner will be announced, right here, tomorrow!

Today, you can enter to win a set of authentic Dog Tags for the main characters of Strength of the Wolf! These are highly coveted dog tags, featuring the vital statistics of Tim Madison and Jeremy Wagner, from Strength of the Wolf. These are brand new! No one has a set, yet, so you might be lucky enough to be the first!

Here is everything you need to know to get entered for your chance to win! The winner will be announced tomorrow, as well, so don’t wait! Get entered!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1bf30764

Love and Dog Tags,

Kendall

www.kendallmckenna.com

www.facebook.com/kendallmckenna

www.facebook.com/thetamenessofthewolf

www.facebook.com/therecondiaries

Buy Links:

MLR Press LLC

Amazon

All Romance

Review: Strength of the Wolf (The Tameness of the Wolf #2) by Kendall McKenna

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

After the events in Afghanistan, Captain Tim Madison, Lt. Lucas Young, Dominant and True Alpha Sergeant Noah Hammond find themselves back in the States as part of a new military unit designed to better utilize and integrate the wolf shifters into the military to the benefit of both species. Its a huge job and they have plenty of preconceived notions, misinformation and outdated combat structures to get rid of. All receive promotions with Tim Madison promoted to major. He is also made the head of the new unit which is composed of both human and shifter soldiers. The first order of business? To the bottom of the huge amount of shifter casualties in combat.

Jeremy Wagner is a civilian wolf shifter. He’s smart, young and just beginning his career as an architect intern. Jeremy is also a Lone Wolf, having been Cast Out by the True Alpha of the North Coast pack. To that True Alpha, Jeremy represents a threat to his leadership asJeremy is just beginning his Transition to True Alpha. Now Jeremy is alone, hormonal and trying to deal with all the physical and emotional changes of his transition and it’s not going well.

A confrontation in a parking lots brings Tim Madison together with Jeremy Wagner with explosive results. Despite Tim’s concerns about the swiftness of their feelings and age difference, Tim and Jeremy soon form an intimate bond. But outside elements gather to pull them apart. Tim’s dysfunctional brother has reappeared in his life, casualties are mounting for the werewolves in combat and Jeremy must still deal with his transition to True Alpha. Will their bond and the strength of the wolf be strong enough to withstand the obstacles in their path?

Each new book from Kendall McKenna just reinforces my enthusiasm and love for The Tameness of the Wolf universe and the wolf shifters (and humans) she has created for it. Strength of the Wolf follows shortly after the events of Strength of the Pack and the kidnapping of Lt. Lucas Young. That military action highlighted the errors in which the wolfshifters were being used and the need for more investigation and regulating where the shifters and the military were concerned. After an intense Prologue, McKenna switches focus away from combat and brings us into an exploration of werewolf natural history, one of the aspects I wished had been enlarged in Strength of the Pack.. How did they operate? What was the hierarchy? In Strength of the Wolf, McKenna starts to answer some of those questions. I have to admit that I love how McKenna intertwines shapeshifter history with that of human history and lore. It works beautifully and also manages to introduce an element of humor to the proceedings.

Kendall McKenna’s characters are as strong, deep, and intense, all of which is necessary considering their occupations and difference in physiology. I love her soldiers, her Marines both human and werewolf. They are all resoundingly authentic and compelling. Now we get to see the civilian side of the wolf. Jeremy is a architectural intern. He is young, brash, smart, and alone. His is a more subtle characterization if you can say that about a wolf shifter, especially one becoming a True Alpha. His is a character in transition in more ways than one. Jeremy is twenty five. He is, as an intern, learning about himself as a architect as well as his new status as True Alpha. Jeremy has always been a mid level pack member and is not prepared when he starts to change mentally, emotionally, and physically. He is in all respects, a late bloomer and that’s a problem. I really love this character. He is powerful and he is also very vulnerable, he is insecure and having problems handling his transition without help. Then into his life strides Tim Madison, Lucas Young and Noah Hammond. Talk about a life changing moment. That scene in the parking lot is a great example of why everything about this series and book works. It’s intense, its perspective is both intimate and broad in scope, it’s humorous and potentially terrifying. It’s amazing. And the more we learn about Jeremy’s journey to True Alpha, the more we learn about werewolf society, pack rules and regulations.

The character of Tim Madison is, naturally, given more depth and scope than his role in Strength of the Pack. I liked Tim in that novel but came to love him here. Older, responsible, and still he yearns for the type of bond he sees in Lucas and Noah, a permanence and deep love that includes respect and understanding. Tim’s past and his military career have taught him caution, to be wary of unplanned, quick moves. So it is absolutely understandable that when faced with Jeremy’s (and his own) desires, that Tim would want to slow things down. So very human, but that doesn’t always work with your mate is a shapeshifter. Again, McKenna gives each man his strong persona and then shows us exactly how and why they work so well in combination. It’s realistic and incredibly sexy! I mean incendiary sexy! Those scenes between Tim and Jeremy are the hottest things since…well, since Noah and Lucas!

Of course, Dominant Lucas Young and his mate, Noah Hammond, the True Alpha of the U.S. Armed Forces Pack are back in force. This couple always manages to bring an startling sexual and emotional component to each scene they are in. They remain as charismatic and white hot as you would expect. But even with all those qualities, their presence doesn’t take away anything from the story of Tim and Jeremy. They enhance it, not dilute it. McKenna balances her couples and the needs of the narrative beautifully so neither couple is diminished by the other. It may be Tim and Jeremy’s story but the author has a wider plan that she is moving towards and many other elements in play. And this will include some of the new characters she introduces in Strength of the Wolf. At least I am hoping to see certain Marines show up again as well as Tim’s brother.

A review of any of Kendall McKenna’s novels would be incomplete without mentioning the superb military elements so much a part of her narratives. Because of Kendall McKenna, I now know what a sit-rep is, also a “oscar mike”, CASEVAC, and LPC’s, that’s leather personnel carriers, also known as boots for those of you as ignorant as I was of military speak! Because of Kendall McKenna and her vivid realistic descriptions, I can almost feel the heat of the desert baking into their skin, and the dessert sand that invades every crevasse of clothes and body no matter the preventative measures taken to keep it out. The drudgery, the danger, the boredom and the unmitigated horror of a ambush, its all here, done with a gritty realism that will make you wince,cringe and cry out for those involved. Reading through a Kendall McKenna story is both a pleasure and a revelation. I feel grounded in its authenticity (especially where the military and combat is concerned) but revel in the new facts and aspects of situation and characters that I had not thought of. What a joy.

Kendall McKenna’s Strength of the Wolf and The Tameness of the Wolf series are on Scattered Thoughts Best Lists of 2013. Consider both books highly recommended. So grab up your LPCs and run to get your copy of Strength of the Wolf. If you are new to the series, go directly back to the beginning and Strength of the Pack first. If you loved that book, trust me you will be running back to reread it after finishing Strength of the Wolf. This is a series you will never get enough of, trust me on this one.

Cover art by Jared Rackler is amazing. I love it.

Books in The Tameness of the Wolf series in the order they were written and should be read:

Strength of the Pack (The Tameness of the Wolf #1)
Strength of the Wolf (The Tameness of the Wolf #2)

Book Details:

ebook, 365 pages

Published September 6th 2013 by MLR Press

original title Strength of the Wolf

ISBN13 MLR1020130136

edition language English

url http://kendallmckenna.com/books/the-tameness-of-the-wolf/

series The Tameness of the Wolf

http://www.MLRPress.com

Buy links:

More Kendall McKenna, More Marine Werewolves and 2nd Contest Begins!

Whew! Welcome back, everybody! I don’t know about you, but this last week has been crazy! I’ve had my usual schedule of guest blogs and blog hops surrounding the release of my new book, but the reaction to Strength of the Wolf has exceeded the reaction to the first book, and I can hardly keep up with the email and PMs! If I still had my day job, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up at all!

Thanks for taking time to swing by and get updated. I’ve got a winner to announce later on, but first, pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink, prop your feet up, and let’s chat.

A couple of days ago, I discussed world building and how I construct my stories and my characters. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty today. Let’s talk about werewolves; specifically, the werewolves I created for my series, The Tameness of the Wolf. Creating a world in which werewolves serve in the Marine Corps, are fully integrated with humans, fall in love, and make love, with both humans and other werewolves, was more complex and complicated than I had anticipated. It’s not difficult, but it can get tricky.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve read less than a handful of paranormal romances. As a child, I loved ‘monster’ movies. In addition to the classics, I also had a fondness for the Hammer films of the 60s. Also being a history buff, I read all about the origins of the various myths and legends of my two favorite ‘monsters’; vampires and werewolves. Technology has made for some entertaining movies, and has led to the blending of shapeshifters with werewolves. I created my werewolf mythology from the most intriguing aspects of shapeshifting, anchored it in history, then used it to color my characters and my story.

There are two characteristics that separate werewolves (or any were-animal) from general shapshifters. One is that the individual is cursed, most often by receiving a bite from a werewolf. The second is the necessity of shifting into a wolf at the full moon. Full werewolves shift completely into a wolf. There has always been the existence of legends about a ‘wolfman’, which is a creature possessing the traits of both wolf and human.

As I built my world for The Tameness of the Wolf series, the concept of the curse became problematic because my werewolves are not evil, and are not villains. I chose to make the curse feature a part of the werewolves history, so it has bearing on my characters, but in an historical capacity. At this point, I can’t elaborate any further without spoilers!

The feature that is arguably, quintessentially ‘werewolf’, is the need to shift into a wolf with the full moon. This is what captured my imagination, more than anything else, so it features prominently in my mythology. My affection for wolfmen manifests itself in my werewolves being able to control their shapeshift by degrees. Unless it’s the full moon, my werewolves are able to shift some or all of their body parts at will.

When it came to the behaviors of my werewolves, both conscious and instinctive, I rooted everything in the natural world. When my werewolves become wolves, they behave just as wolves in the wild do. They have a pack hierarchy, they possess a great deal of aggression, they are able to run for nearly a day, at a steady pace. They’re stronger than they are as humans, they hunt wild prey during the full moon, and they function as a pack-like team. They retain small aspects of their humanity, but for all intents and purposes, they’re large, dangerous Dire wolves.

Conversely, when my werewolves are human, they’re fully human. Some wolf-like aspects bleed through, such as stronger senses of sight, smell and hearing. They retain the wolf’s use of scent and touch to aid in communication. They’re territorial, but they function extremely well in teams.
What this all means is, everything that happens in my stories, and all the traits and features of my characters, occur in reality. Neither human, nor wolf; have any habits, rituals or behaviors that aren’t found in the natural word. For all that my characters defy the laws of physics, and don’t exactly adhere to the law of equal mass, my werewolves – and therefore my stories – are believable. They feel realistic

Once I set up the history of my werewolves, and the rules of my universe, I began to write my story. Again, I know where I want my characters to go, and where I want them to end up. I know the same things about the plot. I design scenes to do what it is I need done at that point in the story, and I ensure every detail adheres to the rules of the world I built. Building that world, clearly defining it, and sticking to the rules is crucial, and it makes the stories compelling and enjoyable.

I took the world that I built in Strength of the Pack, and I expanded and elaborated on it in Strength of the Wolf. I continued to weave werewolves into the myths and legends of our reality. I showed what it is to be a True Alpha werewolf, and how Noah and Jeremy got there. I gave insight into how the packs work, and sometimes don’t work. I expanded on the role of the Beta, and I introduced the beloved Omega. And along the way, I showed humans and werewolves learning how to wage modern warfare, side by side.

And along the way, Tim and Jeremy fall in love.

Strength of the Wolf continues to rocket its way up the bestseller lists. Tim and Jeremy have captured hearts. If you’re curious, you can read a little bit about them:
Blurb:  After a fiery exit from Afghanistan, Tim Madison is promoted to major. Jeremy Wagner is a civilian, just beginning his Transition to True Alpha. As a lone wolf, he has no one to teach him the vital principles of strong leadership. After a volatile chance encounter, Tim and Jeremy form an intimate bond.
As Jeremy prepares to someday lead his own pack, Tim struggles with military werewolves being needlessly maimed in combat, as well as specifically targeted by hostile forces. Despite Tim and Jeremy’s feelings, werewolf and human politics or family conflict could prevent their mate-bond.

Excerpt:
The crowd of Marines backed away, forming a wide circle around Tim. To his left, Lucas dropped what he was carrying. Glass shattered on the wooden deck and dispelled the food it contained. To Tim’s right, Jeremy’s clawed hands wrapped around Terrell Hubbard’s throat. His lips pulled back in a ferocious snarl, revealing long, wickedly sharp fangs. Hubbard’s fingers were claws, as well. One gripped Jeremy’s bicep, the other was fisted in Jeremy’s shirt. Hubbard bared his fangs, barking and growling in Jeremy’s face.

Adrenaline surged into Tim’s bloodstream. His heart pounded, his mouth went dry. “Jeremy! Knock it the fuck off!” he shouted, reaching for the brat’s shoulders to pull him away from Hubbard. “Sergeant Hubbard! Stand down! Right the fuck now!” Tim’s skin tightened over his bones and his clothes were suddenly painful.

Tim hadn’t been this afraid in combat. Hubbard was inches taller and tens of pounds heavier than Jeremy. He was a trained Marine, battle hardened. Jeremy was outclassed and that scared the shit out of Tim.

“Submit, Terrell,” Noah shouted, voice rough and commanding. He sounded more wolf than human.

Just as Tim reached for Jeremy, strong hands grasped his wrists.

“Stay out of it,” Lucas said, trying to drag Tim away from the embattled werewolves. “You’ll only get hurt.”

“Jeremy’s no match for Hubbard,” Tim said angrily, trying to shake off Lucas.

“Yes, he is.” Lucas put himself between Tim and the shifters, giving a mighty shove. “Let Noah handle it.”

Tim stumbled, Lucas’ shove sending him off balance. He started back toward Jeremy, desperate to get him away from the larger, stronger Hubbard. Lucas blocked his path. Dawson was suddenly behind Lucas as silent reinforcement.

“Submit to him, Terrell,” Noah ordered again. He stood beside the two werewolves but didn’t touch. Tim wondered why the hell he didn’t break up the fight. “If you make him shift he’ll rip your throat out.”

In the blink of an eye, Hubbard gave up the fight and let himself be carried to the ground by Jeremy’s weight. Now on his back, Terrell let his arms go limp beside him. He tilted back his head so that both his throat and his belly were vulnerable to Jeremy’s attack.

A strange silence fell over the yard, save for Hubbard’s labored breathing as he struggled to get air past Jeremy’s grip on his throat. Jeremy crouched over Terrell’s supine form. He gripped Hubbard’s throat with only one clawed hand now. He leaned down until his open mouth hovered just above Terrell’s throat.

“My wolf has submitted, Jeremy,” Noah said calmly. He knelt next to the combatants, still not touching Jeremy. “You’re the victor. He submitted. Let him up.”

Jeremy continued to crouch over Hubbard. He snapped audibly at the vulnerable flesh of Terrell’s throat. Hubbard flinched. Tim clenched his jaw, silently begging Jeremy to accept Hubbard’s submission.

“You can’t filter this through any human or military standards,” Lucas said quietly. Tim had nearly forgotten he was there. “I know you think it’s too soon, but do you feel a connection to Jeremy?”

Tim swallowed hard, his throat tight. To his relief, Jeremy released Terrell, rising gracefully to his feet. “Yes,” Tim admitted, eyes following Jeremy as he stalked back and forth, glaring at the werewolves circled around them.

“Let him mark you, then,” said Lucas. “Right now, in front of the Pack.”

Tim realized everything had been leading him to this very moment, despite his efforts to deny and avoid it. “Yeah,” he sighed. He had feelings for the kid he knew weren’t mixed up with Jeremy’s, or tied to the full moon. Jeremy’s well-being mattered to Tim, but he was the reason Jeremy was angry and aggressive. Jeremy needed Tim to stop hiding.

“It’s got to be a visible mark,” Lucas reminded him. “He’s going to want to get his scent on you, too.”

None of that bothered Tim. Well, the visible marks made him apprehensive. He’d had such sympathy for Lucas, watching him struggle with werewolves making things public that humans usually kept private.

“The brat had better be worth all the drama,” Tim muttered darkly, decision made.

Lucas chuckled. “You wouldn’t like him if he wasn’t a challenge.”

Lucas and Dawson both stepped aside, leaving Tim free to approach to Jeremy. Or Jeremy to approach Tim. It wasn’t clear yet how this was going to go down. Terrell had rolled onto his side, but he still lay on the ground at Jeremy’s feet. The neck of his muscle shirt was darkened with blood. Jeremy’s claws had done some damage. Thankfully, it didn’t appear too severe.

Jeremy stopped pacing. Noah stood behind him, speaking quietly. Jeremy stood tall, shoulders squared, staring directly at Tim. His eyes were amber and those of a wolf. His chest heaved with each breath. At least his hands were no longer claws. Tim couldn’t tell if Jeremy still had fangs.

It didn’t matter if he did. Tim knew he was in no danger from Jeremy. Focusing all of his attention on Jeremy, Tim realized he should have done this before now. Jeremy’s need was a physical ache. His desire to mark Tim, and be marked in return had always been there. It lingered at the back of Tim’s mind like white noise, making it easy to ignore. Tim’s own regret poured through him, drowning out everything else. He hoped this effort would make up for his mistakes. Releasing a shaky breath, Tim silently acknowledged that he’d wanted this all along.

Tim saw the moment Jeremy sensed that their needs finally synced. He closed the distance between them in a few long strides. Tim clutched at Jeremy’s shirt as Jeremy wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist, pulling their bodies together roughly. Their open mouths collided and Tim felt the hard press of teeth. Jeremy did still have his fangs, their sharp tips drawing blood from Tim’s lips. A thrill ran down Tim’s spine, knowing Jeremy’s lethal strength was leashed, just for him.

Jeremy licked deep into Tim’s mouth, their tongues tangling wetly. Jeremy’s body was flame-hot, pressed to the length of Tim’s. His breath was scalding as it ghosted across Tim’s cheek.

Breaking the kiss, Jeremy buried his face in the join of Tim’s neck and shoulder. Tim shuddered. He pushed his hips against Jeremy’s, feeling Jeremy’s already hard cock. Tim tilted his head slightly, asking at the same time he gave consent.

Jeremy pried Tim’s fingers from his shirt. Tim gasped as Jeremy forced his arms to cross at the small of his back. The strength in Jeremy’s hand was surprising as he restrained Tim’s wrists. The arch in his back pushed Tim’s body hard against Jeremy’s. His own cock was completely hard now and he rubbed himself back and forth against Jeremy. Tim closed his eyes, letting his head fall back in silent pleading.

Jeremy kissed up the length of Tim’s throat, dragging the sharp tips of his teeth along the edge of Tim’s jaw. The slight sting sent a thrill down Tim’s spine and he wanted more. Jeremy nipped at Tim’s pulse where it throbbed just below his skin. Tim moaned when Jeremy soothed the spot with his tongue.

His body went rigid and Tim unleashed a decadent groan when Jeremy’s hot mouth latched onto the side of his neck. Tim’s blood rose to the surface as Jeremy sucked hard at the spot. Jeremy soothed the bruise with a swipe of his tongue. Tim relaxed into Jeremy’s hard body, moaning each time Jeremy sucked a bruise into his throat, or nipped sharply at his too-sensitive skin.

He wanted to touch. Tim struggled to free his hands from Jeremy’s grip. When Jeremy released his wrists, Tim buried his fingers in Jeremy’s hair, holding him close. Jeremy nosed at Tim’s ear, dragging his sharp teeth along the sensitive lobe. Tim shuddered again and moaned.

Lowering his head, Tim found Jeremy’s mouth. He chased Jeremy’s tongue with his own. Curling his fingers in Jeremy’s hair, Tim used it to tilt his head back. He skimmed his lips and nose over the pounding pulse in Jeremy’s throat. Tim pressed his open mouth to the same spot and drew heated blood to the surface. Jeremy panted. He cradled the back of Tim’s head, encouraging him. Tim sucked blood to the surface of Jeremy’s skin. He was deeply satisfied that Jeremy wore his mark. The werewolf pack that surrounded them would know that Jeremy was his, and only his.

Jeremy pulled back abruptly. “Okay, that’s enough,” he gasped. “Any more and we’re going to put on a much more revealing show than I’d planned.”

Tim blinked, struggling to understand Jeremy’s words. He watched Jeremy’s eyes roam over his throat, taking in the bruises Tim could feel darkening on his skin. Jeremy’s expression was satisfied, bordering on arrogant. Tim couldn’t help but chuckle. It was such an Alpha thing to do.

The world began to move around them. Dawson directed someone to clean up the shattered glass and spilled food. Noah tried to save the meat left forgotten on the grill. Mundane conversations swirled around them.

Tim and Jeremy stood alone, completely surrounded by Noah’s Pack, breathing heavily, looking only at one another.

“How long do we have to stay?” Desire was obvious in Jeremy’s still-amber eyes.

“It would be polite to eat something, then help clean up a little,” Tim replied, already calculating how he might maneuver them into an early departure.

“Stay with me tonight?” Jeremy asked.

Tim nodded emphatically. “Of course.” Everyone associated with a werewolf pack was excused from duty for the next two days for the full-moon run. He imagined the two of them had much to discuss over the course of the next twenty-four hours.

“Good,” Jeremy said. He turned toward the cluster of Marines who had begun to serve themselves food. “Now let’s go let them all know it’s time to keep their hands off of what’s mine.”

Jeremy’s possessive words should have angered Tim. Instead, it made him consider being rude and skipping out on food.

If anyone would understand, it would be Lucas and Noah.

In just a little bit, I’m going to show you how you can enter to win an e-book copy of Strength of the Wolf. First, I have a winner to announce:
WINNER of the e-book copy of Strength of the Pack:

Penumbra! CONGRATULATIONS! (just let me know what format you need)

Now, here’s your chance to enter to win an e-book copy of Strength of the Wolf! 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1bf30761

You’ll also want to swing by tomorrow, the 13th, and find out how to win an authentic set of Tim and Jeremy’s Dog Tags! These are just like the tags worn by U.S. armed forces personnel and are very highly coveted (and a little hard to get!).

Love and Dog Tags,

Kendall

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